This invention relates to a control apparatus, control system, and control method for controlling a data acquisition apparatus group.
In recent years, there have been widely developed service robots for providing various kinds of services while moving in a human space. Some service robots with a human-like appearance provide services that are in line with intentions of users through communication via voices or gestures. In order to grasp the intentions of users accurately, such robots need to grasp situations of the users and robots or past events as well as voices or gestures made by the users.
For example, JP 2012-161851 A discloses a robot configured to: detect positions and orientations of users and the robot with a known motion capture system and an infrared reflective marker; move to form a positional relationship (formation) for enabling conversation; and start a conversation. JP 2012-161851 A discloses several specific conditions, such as line-of-sight areas and fields of view of the users and the robot and distances between the users and the robot, as the definition of the positional relationship for enabling conversation.
Further, for example, JP 2008-142876 A discloses a method of distinguishing between service recipients. JP 2008-142876 A achieves sophisticated services that a potential service recipient is determined by an action recognition sensor, and a robot performs a confirmation operation.
Further, for example, WO 2003/035334 A1 discloses a method involving recognizing surroundings of a robot with at least one means, detecting a target (object) based on the recognition result, and holding information on the target.
Further, for example, JP 2005-131713 A discloses a robot configured to determine a conversation partner and action of the robot based on an action history of a conversation target (user), which is acquired by various kinds of observation apparatus installed in surroundings, to thereby introduce or recommend an exhibited object in an exhibition hall.
In general, service robots are required to provide a plurality of types of services such as guiding, attracting customers, assisting sales, and performing patrol monitoring. The services to be provided need to be selected appropriately depending on the situation without preliminary designation by an adopter of the robot, and then provided. In that case, it is desirable to store, for example, information acquired by sensing the surroundings, information on the users, and past interaction history information into a database, and share those pieces of information among services.
Further, the types of services are strongly desired to be extensible in preparation for future needs. Functions to be shared by services need to be provided in a format, for example, a software library, which can be used easily by service developers. However, none of JP 2012-161851 A, JP 2008-142876 A, WO 2003/035334 A1, and JP 2005-131713 A described above specifies the format of a database system adequate for providing a plurality of types of services.